From the Blog

Exercise and Pregnancy – Tracey C

Tracey C talks about exercising before and during her pregnancy, and also gives advice to women who are pregnant or who are considering starting a family.

Tell us some of your background, prior to working with me. I have been an athlete my whole life, being active has always been an important part of who I am and how I see myself. I played college volleyball. Since college I have continued to play sports as much as I can. I have most consistently played indoor soccer.

When did you begin taking Boot Camp? I started Boot Camp about 2 years ago.

What made you add Metabolic Explosion Training Class? I started Metabolic Explosion Training class because I had been doing Boot Camp for a little over a year and was addicted. However, I found myself wanting more, I wanted to add another class during the week and get rid of my gym membership. I no longer felt the need to go to the gym when I was getting such a good workout with Sharon. I also really like the idea of adding weights, stability ball, TRX, etc to my workout.

Why have you continued to take Boot Camp/MET Class? How has it made you feel? It is the best workout (both MET and Boot Camp) that I have found since I graduated college. I had been looking for something like this for years and once I found it, I didn’t want to stop. I became addicted and it became a part of my normal routine. When I have to miss a class I feel like something is missing! I feel great after every workout! The workouts are always different and go so fast! I look forward to the workouts each week because of the people I have met and it doesn’t feel like a chore.

When you became pregnant, you decided to continue taking both Boot Camp and MET Class. How did you arrive at this decision? I talked to my doctor and he said as long as I have been doing this workout prior to pregnancy I could continue doing it. When I heard that, it was the only green light I needed. I was in such a great routine I didn’t want to stop it just because I was pregnant. It was the best decision I made. I quickly realized that I often felt better after working out. Therefore, it was never a hard decision to make it to class each week.

At what point did you begin to modify your exercises? I don’t exactly remember when I started to modify my workouts. I just know that there were days where I realized I no longer could do an exercise like I could before. For example, there became a day where I could no longer lay on my belly to do superman/banana or when my belly grew too large I could no longer to narrow stance squats. However, this did not stop me or Sharon to come up with a replacement exercise. Sharon was always very attentive to the modifications that I needed and made sure I was okay with what I was doing. We had open communication and she provided me with an environment where I felt very comfortable in.

What was Sharon’s attitude toward you while you were pregnant? Sharon was awesome throughout my entire pregnancy! She was always very supportive and proud of me for just showing up to class. However, this did not stop her from pushing me to do my best, regardless if my best was one push up or 15! She knew that I wanted to continue to work out and it was very important to me so she helped me achieve this goal. She openly admitted she was not an expert on working out while pregnant and looked to me to use my body as a guide for the both of us. But she did do research to learn as much as she could and we both learned and progressed together!

During the last few weeks of your pregnancy, did you continue to feel comfortable in class, exercising next to people who were not pregnant? I did!! Everyone I was in class with could not have been more supportive of me and encouraging! They always expressed how proud of me they were and that I was a role model to them because if I could work out while pregnant they could do it as well. I feel like it pushed everyone to do a little bit better. I also knew that it didn’t matter what anyone else in class was doing. I had to always do what was best for me. If I couldn’t perform an exercise it didn’t mean I was out of shape or less of an athlete. I had to look out for myself because it was no longer just about me – I had to do what was best for my unborn child.

How soon before you gave birth did you stop working with me? I had a goal to work out my entire pregnancy and I achieved that goal. I went to MET class on Sunday and delivered Willow on Thursday!

Tell us about your daughter. Willow is awesome! She was born a healthy beautiful little girl. She was active in my tummy from the first time we heard her heart beat all the way until now! She is constantly moving! We often joke she was doing boot camp in my belly with me for 9 months, so she is continuing to do it now that she has been born! She was born 8 lbs 10 oz and was 21.75 inches long!

How long ago was she born? What is your weight compared to pre-pregnancy? She was born 4 weeks ago and I feel great! I can’t wait to get back to working out! I can’t wait to work out again to see what I can do and to see how it feels without a baby in my belly! I have got the itch for sure! This isn’t because I am worried about losing weight or getting back in shape, I just want feel better when I workout and the rest falls into place. I have been super lucky! About a week or so ago, I weighed myself and to my surprise I have lost all my pregnancy weight and even a few extra pounds!!

When do you expect to be cleared by your doctor to return to exercising? I had to have a c-section and by doctor’s orders I am not allowed to work out for 6 weeks. I go back to the doctor on October 29 and expect that I will be able to return to exercise after that! Hopefully I will be at MET class on Nov 2!!

Do you plan on returning to MET Class? I do and I cannot wait!

What would you like to tell women who are considering starting a family or trying to start a family with respect to exercise? I would encourage them to try to continue any exercise they have done before pregnancy. I feel like working out helped my overall well-being while pregnant! If I have another baby I will plan to try and workout again!

What would you like to tell women who are pregnant and are concerned about exercising? Just listen to your body and of course your doctor. But if your body is telling you not to do something then you probably shouldn’t. There are always modifications that you can do! Just because you have to modify workouts it doesn’t mean you are not getting something from it or that you are less of an athlete. You are awesome just by wanting to do something!

Is there anything else you would like to share? I didn’t look at pregnancy as a time where I could sit on the couch, be lazy and eat anything I wanted. My goal was to live life as close to “normal” as I could and do all the same things I did prior to pregnancy. I am not a health nut, but I love to work out. It is a part of who I am, and I didn’t want to lose that just because I was pregnant. I knew I would be miserable if I did. I was very lucky to have a healthy pregnancy and to have Sharon help guide me through and support me!